Should we buy this 93 Max GXE???
06-03-2002, 07:54 PM
#1
Newbie - Just Registered
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 6
Should we buy this 93 Max GXE???
Hope all you Maxima enthusiasts can help me out. I'm trying to help my son buy his first car, and after doing just loads of research, the Maxima is our first choice. We have a line on a car at a dealership - a 93 GXE, body in good condition (very small rust patches on rear wheel/back door bottom) and 151K miles.
Was able to contact previous owner who had it one year from 137K to present. She traded it in for a new Saturn - she wanted a Nissan but said cost was the factor. Said the only thing she did was brakes one month ago. She also said the original owner took very good care of it and mostly put highway miles on the car, driving 45 min highway each way to work. Her dad helped her buy the car from the original owner and he confirmed the guy represented no real trouble with the car - and also that first owner was good about regular oil changes.
Dealer is a set price place, at 3100 +tax. I really want my 17-year-old son in a car with an airbag, and also in a car that might not have just loads of repair costs over and over. Oh yeah, and the carfax report was clean in all respects. Should we give it a go?
Was able to contact previous owner who had it one year from 137K to present. She traded it in for a new Saturn - she wanted a Nissan but said cost was the factor. Said the only thing she did was brakes one month ago. She also said the original owner took very good care of it and mostly put highway miles on the car, driving 45 min highway each way to work. Her dad helped her buy the car from the original owner and he confirmed the guy represented no real trouble with the car - and also that first owner was good about regular oil changes.
Dealer is a set price place, at 3100 +tax. I really want my 17-year-old son in a car with an airbag, and also in a car that might not have just loads of repair costs over and over. Oh yeah, and the carfax report was clean in all respects. Should we give it a go?
06-03-2002, 08:02 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2001
Posts: 175
Re: Should we buy this 93 Max GXE???
Originally posted by jeni t
Hope all you Maxima enthusiasts can help me out. I'm trying to help my son buy his first car, and after doing just loads of research, the Maxima is our first choice. We have a line on a car at a dealership - a 93 GXE, body in good condition (very small rust patches on rear wheel/back door bottom) and 151K miles.
Was able to contact previous owner who had it one year from 137K to present. She traded it in for a new Saturn - she wanted a Nissan but said cost was the factor. Said the only thing she did was brakes one month ago. She also said the original owner took very good care of it and mostly put highway miles on the car, driving 45 min highway each way to work. Her dad helped her buy the car from the original owner and he confirmed the guy represented no real trouble with the car - and also that first owner was good about regular oil changes.
Dealer is a set price place, at 3100 +tax. I really want my 17-year-old son in a car with an airbag, and also in a car that might not have just loads of repair costs over and over. Oh yeah, and the carfax report was clean in all respects. Should we give it a go?
Hope all you Maxima enthusiasts can help me out. I'm trying to help my son buy his first car, and after doing just loads of research, the Maxima is our first choice. We have a line on a car at a dealership - a 93 GXE, body in good condition (very small rust patches on rear wheel/back door bottom) and 151K miles.
Was able to contact previous owner who had it one year from 137K to present. She traded it in for a new Saturn - she wanted a Nissan but said cost was the factor. Said the only thing she did was brakes one month ago. She also said the original owner took very good care of it and mostly put highway miles on the car, driving 45 min highway each way to work. Her dad helped her buy the car from the original owner and he confirmed the guy represented no real trouble with the car - and also that first owner was good about regular oil changes.
Dealer is a set price place, at 3100 +tax. I really want my 17-year-old son in a car with an airbag, and also in a car that might not have just loads of repair costs over and over. Oh yeah, and the carfax report was clean in all respects. Should we give it a go?
Other then the rust, you'll probably be looking at regular tune up issues. If the owner that had the car around 120k miles did the proper replacements you won't have to worry about too much. If they didn't, then you'll be looking at some major replacements including the timing belt. Get that done ASAP. Other than that, you're probably good to go. You can always try doing searches (upper right corner) on specific things and I bet some other members will have some feedback. Good luck!
06-03-2002, 09:13 PM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2001
Posts: 2,100
Just to be fair and warn you, you should contact Nissan of America and find out if there has been any recall(s) serviced on it. You will need the VIN to do this. There is a faulty fuel filler stem that needs to be replaced, and is more than likely the cause of the small rust patches you described in the rear. Check the trunk, also. Pull the lining out on the driver's side and look for any rust or holes. Also check around where the rear seal belt is bolted there. Get tranny service records if possible, they are a weak point if not serviced correctly or abused...
06-03-2002, 09:22 PM
#4
Check for fluid leaks. If there is oil leaking (black), it is probably coming from the front or rear main seal or the camshaft oil seals. Power steering fluid is no biggie. Sometimes just tightening the hoses will fix it.
If you find transmission fluid leaking, (redish) think twice. If you see coolant leaking, (green) run like hell and find a better Maxima.
Pull the tranny fluid dipstick. If they fluid has debris on it, is gritty to the touch, or burned/blackened, think VERY carefully about buying this car. Broken transmission will lighten your wallet $$$$!
If you find transmission fluid leaking, (redish) think twice. If you see coolant leaking, (green) run like hell and find a better Maxima.
Pull the tranny fluid dipstick. If they fluid has debris on it, is gritty to the touch, or burned/blackened, think VERY carefully about buying this car. Broken transmission will lighten your wallet $$$$!
06-04-2002, 03:10 PM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 437
If the tranny has not been rebuilt already, then I would be very wary of buying this car, it could be the reason that the previous owner traded it in after only one year. If it hasn't been rebuilt you would be extremely lucky to make it to 200,000 miles without it failing. The price seems kind of low for a dealer, I don't know where you live, but here that car would probably be listed for about 4,000 from a private party. My advice to anyone buying a third gen Max is to get a 5 speed, I will never again buy an auto Max. Also, when you're looking at VG's ask if they know when the t-belt was last changed, it's about a $500 job with the water pump and various things included. The exhaust manifold studs are also a problem that you might want to check if they were replaced. Good luck in finding a nice Max and let us know what you end up getting, 151,000 miles is not a lot with these cars but I think you can do better. Also hold out for a 5 speed. Airbags came out in 1992 so if you really want that you're going to be looking at the VE engine if you want a five speed because they did not come in the GXE's. A VG 5 speed is a very reliable combo.
06-04-2002, 06:43 PM
#7
Newbie - Just Registered
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 6
Well we bought the car. While I haven't been able to get ahold of the original owner (to 137K miles) I did find a ton of oil change receipts tucked in the owner's manual in the glove box. Looks like the first owner was religious about oil changes every 3000 miles. We live in NE Ohio and I've been checking the major city papers all around here for several weeks and this seems to be a very good deal. I think I would be waiting 6 months at least to find a VG 5 speed that was also in good condition/well kept, although I realize that is optimal.
The price is so good because my husband has business dealings with the owner of this dealership, as luck would have it, so they came down on price even though they're a one price dealership family, from $3500 to 3100. The second owner told me she only got $2000 on it for trade, and that they told her they'd only be able to sell it for $2500 at auction. Then they decided to keep it in the dealer "family" and sent it to another lot.
I've already advised my son to get at least $1000 banked away for the repairs that will be coming. We have friends who have third generation maximas and have never had transmission problems, and one is up to 175K. Is this due to frequent oil changes? They're both **** about oil changes.
The price is so good because my husband has business dealings with the owner of this dealership, as luck would have it, so they came down on price even though they're a one price dealership family, from $3500 to 3100. The second owner told me she only got $2000 on it for trade, and that they told her they'd only be able to sell it for $2500 at auction. Then they decided to keep it in the dealer "family" and sent it to another lot.
I've already advised my son to get at least $1000 banked away for the repairs that will be coming. We have friends who have third generation maximas and have never had transmission problems, and one is up to 175K. Is this due to frequent oil changes? They're both **** about oil changes.
06-04-2002, 07:04 PM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 437
Congratulations on the new Maxima! Long transmission life is due mainly from the transmission fluid being changed every 30,000 miles and slower driving habits, it has nothing to due with the motor oil being changed frequently. The first thing that I would do would be to take it to a lube place that you are familiar with and have them change the transmission fluid if it looks dirty. Welcome to Maxima.org.
06-16-2002, 05:55 PM
#9
Newbie - Just Registered
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 6
Update
The saga continues...
The day after we picked up the car we noticed the A/C was not blowing cold air. I know, I know, we should have checked it more carefully but it was really chilly here in NE Ohio the days we test drove the car. The air SEEMED cooler, but apparently we missed a major thing. Took it back in to the dealer who diagnosed a compressor problem at $600+. We asked them to fix it but they said no, so we returned it (within the three day right of recision of a sale). The service manager said returning the car was no problem, and this dealership is known as a customer comes first kind of place. One of their service drivers even told me he was certain they would fix it in the first place because they almost always do whatever the customer wants. But since they didn't want to fix the a/c, we returned it.
Now, while waiting to receive the check in the mail, the dealer manager calls us and says that when this thing came across his desk, he was concerned that the used car manager had NOT agreed to fix the a/c. Said if we were still interested in the car they would fix the a/c now for us. Guess they did the math and figured out they would come out better if they just fixed the a/c.
I told him I wanted to drive the car again before we decided and he said that was fine. I'm supposed to go up there in the morning. In the meantime...I tracked down the original owner (to 137K - now it has 151K) and got really excellent news - the wife said they were FANATICS about maintenance - did all the scheduled maintenance, oil changes, tune ups, replaced the timing belts at 60 and 120K, etc. Never had to fix the window regulators but I'm wondering how often they were even rolled down. They LOVED the car, and she said it had almost all highway miles on it - she drove it as a consultant. Second owner only had the car one year.
I just don't know how much better of a deal and with a solid maintenance history we can find in the next two weeks for $3300. Son has to have wheels by July 2 due to job. Opinions? (and thanks for your patience in reading this lenghty post!)
The day after we picked up the car we noticed the A/C was not blowing cold air. I know, I know, we should have checked it more carefully but it was really chilly here in NE Ohio the days we test drove the car. The air SEEMED cooler, but apparently we missed a major thing. Took it back in to the dealer who diagnosed a compressor problem at $600+. We asked them to fix it but they said no, so we returned it (within the three day right of recision of a sale). The service manager said returning the car was no problem, and this dealership is known as a customer comes first kind of place. One of their service drivers even told me he was certain they would fix it in the first place because they almost always do whatever the customer wants. But since they didn't want to fix the a/c, we returned it.
Now, while waiting to receive the check in the mail, the dealer manager calls us and says that when this thing came across his desk, he was concerned that the used car manager had NOT agreed to fix the a/c. Said if we were still interested in the car they would fix the a/c now for us. Guess they did the math and figured out they would come out better if they just fixed the a/c.
I told him I wanted to drive the car again before we decided and he said that was fine. I'm supposed to go up there in the morning. In the meantime...I tracked down the original owner (to 137K - now it has 151K) and got really excellent news - the wife said they were FANATICS about maintenance - did all the scheduled maintenance, oil changes, tune ups, replaced the timing belts at 60 and 120K, etc. Never had to fix the window regulators but I'm wondering how often they were even rolled down. They LOVED the car, and she said it had almost all highway miles on it - she drove it as a consultant. Second owner only had the car one year.
I just don't know how much better of a deal and with a solid maintenance history we can find in the next two weeks for $3300. Son has to have wheels by July 2 due to job. Opinions? (and thanks for your patience in reading this lenghty post!)
06-16-2002, 06:52 PM
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2000
Posts: 830
Re: Update
Originally posted by jeni t
The saga continues...
The day after we picked up the car we noticed the A/C was not blowing cold air. I know, I know, we should have checked it more carefully but it was really chilly here in NE Ohio the days we test drove the car. The air SEEMED cooler, but apparently we missed a major thing. Took it back in to the dealer who diagnosed a compressor problem at $600+. We asked them to fix it but they said no, so we returned it (within the three day right of recision of a sale). The service manager said returning the car was no problem, and this dealership is known as a customer comes first kind of place. One of their service drivers even told me he was certain they would fix it in the first place because they almost always do whatever the customer wants. But since they didn't want to fix the a/c, we returned it.
Now, while waiting to receive the check in the mail, the dealer manager calls us and says that when this thing came across his desk, he was concerned that the used car manager had NOT agreed to fix the a/c. Said if we were still interested in the car they would fix the a/c now for us. Guess they did the math and figured out they would come out better if they just fixed the a/c.
I told him I wanted to drive the car again before we decided and he said that was fine. I'm supposed to go up there in the morning. In the meantime...I tracked down the original owner (to 137K - now it has 151K) and got really excellent news - the wife said they were FANATICS about maintenance - did all the scheduled maintenance, oil changes, tune ups, replaced the timing belts at 60 and 120K, etc. Never had to fix the window regulators but I'm wondering how often they were even rolled down. They LOVED the car, and she said it had almost all highway miles on it - she drove it as a consultant. Second owner only had the car one year.
I just don't know how much better of a deal and with a solid maintenance history we can find in the next two weeks for $3300. Son has to have wheels by July 2 due to job. Opinions? (and thanks for your patience in reading this lenghty post!)
The saga continues...
The day after we picked up the car we noticed the A/C was not blowing cold air. I know, I know, we should have checked it more carefully but it was really chilly here in NE Ohio the days we test drove the car. The air SEEMED cooler, but apparently we missed a major thing. Took it back in to the dealer who diagnosed a compressor problem at $600+. We asked them to fix it but they said no, so we returned it (within the three day right of recision of a sale). The service manager said returning the car was no problem, and this dealership is known as a customer comes first kind of place. One of their service drivers even told me he was certain they would fix it in the first place because they almost always do whatever the customer wants. But since they didn't want to fix the a/c, we returned it.
Now, while waiting to receive the check in the mail, the dealer manager calls us and says that when this thing came across his desk, he was concerned that the used car manager had NOT agreed to fix the a/c. Said if we were still interested in the car they would fix the a/c now for us. Guess they did the math and figured out they would come out better if they just fixed the a/c.
I told him I wanted to drive the car again before we decided and he said that was fine. I'm supposed to go up there in the morning. In the meantime...I tracked down the original owner (to 137K - now it has 151K) and got really excellent news - the wife said they were FANATICS about maintenance - did all the scheduled maintenance, oil changes, tune ups, replaced the timing belts at 60 and 120K, etc. Never had to fix the window regulators but I'm wondering how often they were even rolled down. They LOVED the car, and she said it had almost all highway miles on it - she drove it as a consultant. Second owner only had the car one year.
I just don't know how much better of a deal and with a solid maintenance history we can find in the next two weeks for $3300. Son has to have wheels by July 2 due to job. Opinions? (and thanks for your patience in reading this lenghty post!)
06-16-2002, 06:56 PM
#11
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 437
Well, I would pass because somehow the dealer is going to get you to pay for the A/C. Mechanics never do anything for free, they always make it up in the end somehow. In 2 weeks you should be able to find a private party that has a 5 speed with lower miles and a better price. I can't stress enough how important it is to get a 5 speed, whether it be a VE or VG. Good luck and let us know what you end up doing.
06-16-2002, 07:10 PM
#12
Originally posted by davis4005
Well, I would pass because somehow the dealer is going to get you to pay for the A/C. Mechanics never do anything for free, they always make it up in the end somehow. In 2 weeks you should be able to find a private party that has a 5 speed with lower miles and a better price. I can't stress enough how important it is to get a 5 speed, whether it be a VE or VG. Good luck and let us know what you end up doing.
Well, I would pass because somehow the dealer is going to get you to pay for the A/C. Mechanics never do anything for free, they always make it up in the end somehow. In 2 weeks you should be able to find a private party that has a 5 speed with lower miles and a better price. I can't stress enough how important it is to get a 5 speed, whether it be a VE or VG. Good luck and let us know what you end up doing.
My car know has 137k miles on it and transmission slips slightly on the 2nd - 3rd upshift. Not a huge deal but it IS slipping. (I installed a cooler when I first bought the car)
On the other hand, I had a "female friend" with a '91 GXE that had 180k miles on it and the original transmission. It ran great.
I think the point I am getting to is that this car does have issues that by themselves are not huge. However, the combined problems of a failed transmission, the bad dealership experience, and the rust, I would pass. Especially considering that most people don't get the chance to correct possible mistakes. Don't let your rush to find a car push you into a bad decision.
There is the right car for you and your son out there. This just probably isn't it!
06-16-2002, 07:12 PM
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 512
IMHO, if a dealer flat out told you they wouldn't repair something, then it came to you returning it (good job for not taking any slack) in order to get something done, I would definitly not buy the car. Just because of the hassle already gone through.
06-17-2002, 03:53 AM
#14
Newbie - Just Registered
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 6
Originally posted by Pervis Anathema
I drive a '91 VG Auto. When I bought the car, it had ~110k miles on it. The transmission did not show evidence of any problems. The car had been fairly well maintained. Within three months, I spent $1k on repairs. Battery, alternator, belts, hoses, seals, tires, brakes, blah blah blah.
My car know has 137k miles on it and transmission slips slightly on the 2nd - 3rd upshift. Not a huge deal but it IS slipping. (I installed a cooler when I first bought the car)
On the other hand, I had a "female friend" with a '91 GXE that had 180k miles on it and the original transmission. It ran great.
I think the point I am getting to is that this car does have issues that by themselves are not huge. However, the combined problems of a failed transmission, the bad dealership experience, and the rust, I would pass. Especially considering that most people don't get the chance to correct possible mistakes. Don't let your rush to find a car push you into a bad decision.
There is the right car for you and your son out there. This just probably isn't it!
I drive a '91 VG Auto. When I bought the car, it had ~110k miles on it. The transmission did not show evidence of any problems. The car had been fairly well maintained. Within three months, I spent $1k on repairs. Battery, alternator, belts, hoses, seals, tires, brakes, blah blah blah.
My car know has 137k miles on it and transmission slips slightly on the 2nd - 3rd upshift. Not a huge deal but it IS slipping. (I installed a cooler when I first bought the car)
On the other hand, I had a "female friend" with a '91 GXE that had 180k miles on it and the original transmission. It ran great.
I think the point I am getting to is that this car does have issues that by themselves are not huge. However, the combined problems of a failed transmission, the bad dealership experience, and the rust, I would pass. Especially considering that most people don't get the chance to correct possible mistakes. Don't let your rush to find a car push you into a bad decision.
There is the right car for you and your son out there. This just probably isn't it!
Everyone makes good points - but I also should add it takes an exhorbitant amount of time to just LOOK for a car! I've already invested tons of time - and Maximas in this price range just don't come up too often, and when they do they have mileage and prices just about like this one. Our city is only 250K people so availability is really limited. And on the plus side for this car, I DO know it was extremely well maintained.
Maybe I'm just hesitating because I don't want my son driving
06-17-2002, 04:58 AM
#15
Originally posted by jeni t
Just to be fair, there isn't a failed transmission, it's a/c, and my hunch is they're doing it because of my husband's position in our city and his relationship with the owner of the dealership, who to this point is completely unaware of this deal or how the used car dealer treated us.
Everyone makes good points - but I also should add it takes an exhorbitant amount of time to just LOOK for a car! I've already invested tons of time - and Maximas in this price range just don't come up too often, and when they do they have mileage and prices just about like this one. Our city is only 250K people so availability is really limited. And on the plus side for this car, I DO know it was extremely well maintained.
Maybe I'm just hesitating because I don't want my son driving
Just to be fair, there isn't a failed transmission, it's a/c, and my hunch is they're doing it because of my husband's position in our city and his relationship with the owner of the dealership, who to this point is completely unaware of this deal or how the used car dealer treated us.
Everyone makes good points - but I also should add it takes an exhorbitant amount of time to just LOOK for a car! I've already invested tons of time - and Maximas in this price range just don't come up too often, and when they do they have mileage and prices just about like this one. Our city is only 250K people so availability is really limited. And on the plus side for this car, I DO know it was extremely well maintained.
Maybe I'm just hesitating because I don't want my son driving
06-21-2002, 02:45 PM
#17
Newbie - Just Registered
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 6
Well a couple of you will be able to say I told you so, but my son really really liked the max and thus it is now officially his. We pick it up in the morning with a/c "blowing ice cold."
Before we decided to (still) buy the car we did take it to a trusted mechanic who thoroughly checked it. He said the muffler will be going soon (we knew that) and the battery was also on its last legs. But...he completely advised us to buy the car. He loves maximas - and his son drives a '91
Also my neighbor who has owned three third gens advised buying it. Said if we didn't buy it he was going to because it was a great deal. And then when the repairs hit, my son is going to get a really good life lesson!
Before we decided to (still) buy the car we did take it to a trusted mechanic who thoroughly checked it. He said the muffler will be going soon (we knew that) and the battery was also on its last legs. But...he completely advised us to buy the car. He loves maximas - and his son drives a '91
Also my neighbor who has owned three third gens advised buying it. Said if we didn't buy it he was going to because it was a great deal. And then when the repairs hit, my son is going to get a really good life lesson!
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post